Air Force Working Capital Fund: Budgeting and Management of Carryover Work and Funding Could Be Improved

"Three Air Force depots support combat readiness by providing repair services to keep Air Force units operating worldwide. To the extent that the depots do not complete work at year end, the work and related funding will be carried into the next fiscal year. Carryover is the reported dollar value of work that has been ordered and funded by customers but not completed at the end of the fiscal year. GAO was asked to determine the extent to which: (1) budget information on depot maintenance carryover approximated actual results from fiscal years 2006 through 2010 and, if not, any needed actions to improve budgeting for carryover; (2) depot maintenance carryover exceeded the allowable amount and any adjustments were made to the allowable amount; and (3) there was growth in carryover at the depots and the reasons for the growth. To address these objectives, GAO (1) reviewed relevant carryover guidance, (2) obtained and analyzed reported carryover and related data at the Air Logistics Centers (ALC), and (3) interviewed DOD and Air Force officials. GAO makes five recommendations to DOD to improve the budgeting and management of carryover, such as comparing budgeted to actual information on carryover and clarifying DOD guidance on allowable..."

Three Air Force depots support combat readiness by providing repair services to keep Air Force units operating worldwide. To the extent that the depots do not complete work at year end, the work and related funding will be carried into the next fiscal year. Carryover is the reported dollar value of work that has been ordered and funded by customers but not completed at the end of the fiscal year. GAO was asked to determine the extent to which: (1) budget information on depot maintenance carryover approximated actual results from fiscal years 2006 through 2010 and, if not, any needed actions to improve budgeting for carryover; (2) depot maintenance carryover exceeded the allowable amount and any adjustments were made to the allowable amount; and (3) there was growth in carryover at the depots and the reasons for the growth. To address these objectives, GAO (1) reviewed relevant carryover guidance, (2) obtained and analyzed reported carryover and related data at the Air Logistics Centers (ALC), and (3) interviewed DOD and Air Force officials. GAO makes five recommendations to DOD to improve the budgeting and management of carryover, such as comparing budgeted to actual information on carryover and clarifying DOD guidance on allowable carryover funded with multiyear appropriations. DOD concurred with GAO's recommendations and has actions planned or under way to implement them.

This report discusses the Defense Working Capital Fund fiscal year-end workload funding issue, generally referred to as "carryover." The Air Force does not have reliable information on the dollar amount of carryover for its contract depot maintenance operation due to faulty assumptions used in calculating work-in-process and records not accurately reflecting work done at year-end. Until the problems are corrected, congressional and Defense decisionmakers will be forced to make key budget decisions, such as whether or not to enhance or reduce customer budgets, based on unreliable information. In addition, due to logistical and production problems, hundreds of millions of dollars of work was not done as planned and was carried over into the next fiscal year. These problems resulted in idle funds that could have been used for near-term readiness or other priorities. For the contract portion of this activity group to operate more effectively, managers at Air Force Materiel Command and the air logistics centers must be held accountable for (1) the accuracy and timeliness of the production and financial management information used for decision-making and (2) ensuring that the work is completed as planned. Until these weaknesses are resolved, concerns will continue to be raised about the amount of carryover related to the contract portion of this activity group.